Happy 27th Birthday to Me.....For the 17th time!

Waking up this morning was truly karmic because I was born precisely at the time I woke up. 6:45am. I am now a 43-year resident on the 3rd rock from the sun.

Today, my sister and her brother headed back to Florida. We shared a nice blueberry pancake breakfast together, and after a little while, we waved them off to JFK. I would love to have had them here a bit longer, because I doubt I'll be going to Florida this winter. The airfares are going down at all, and I have 2 kids and myself, plus a car rental, and 8 days worth of expenditures. However, not all hope is gone. I'll still be checking for airfares on sidestep.com in the slim hopes of a miracle. My kids would love to see their grandparents and their aunt and uncle.


Today also marked the 39th anniversary of being a Met fan too. I barely remember watching it on TV, but there was a lot of commotion regarding this one contest. Tom "Terrific" Seaver, my favorite pitcher of all time, was mowing down the Cubs.
Back then, games were on Channel 9 (WOR-TV). Ralph Kiner, Lindsay Nelson, and Hall-Of-Fame Broadcaster, Bob Murphy did the usual play-by-play. What was extra special about this game was the fact that Seaver was throwing a perfect game. Cleon Jones had already homered in the 7th, so the Mets were in complete control.

When it came to the 9th inning, Randy Hundley started off with a lousy bunt attempt. Yer Out! However, Jimmy Qualls came to bat and....well..he got a hit. The perfect game, and the no-hitter was over. That moment was the closest that the Mets would ever get to getting their 1st no-hitter. Again, that was 39 years ago today.

Now, I would be lying to you if I told you I remembered all those game details at the ripe old age of 4. However, I do remember watching this game with someone (perhaps my Dad) telling me that this was a great game. And I remember seeing Tom Seaver too. No doubt, a special game on my birthday. I would do further bonding with the Mets by seeing Dairy-Lea coupons for Met games at Shea. And back then, the Mayor's Trophy game, which was the closest thing to a Mets-Yankess showdown, was always a highlight in New York too.

Me with the Prince Valiant hairdo. Circa, 1969.


Morton's Neuroma
For the longest time, I've had issues whereby my feet cramp up. Usually it happens during a stressful situation and not always when I'm running either. I've had times, where it's happened to me just sitting over the side of my bed.

Also for the longest time, this has been a major pain in my ass, when it comes to me trying to complete a marathon in under 4 hours.

Now, I tend to perspire a lot. And in doing so, I lose a LOT of potassium. Potassium is not quickly metabolised either, so I just can't pop a few pills during a run to counter the sudden mineral loss. Even drinking Gatorade, while better than a solid, is still nothing that would correct my immediate problem. My only solution is to pop several potassium pills the night before. And pray.

However, prayer is not a strategy, and this issue has been getting me nowhere.
Just yesterday, while we were at Cozymel's in Westbury, my sister mentioned that she had the same issue as well. The pain would arrive without warning, usually over the top of the foot, at the base of the toes and typically between the 3rd and 4th toes.

I could not believe it! It runs in the family!!

Vanessa had to have surgery for it, and she says that all is great now. Of course, this surgery took her several weeks for her to recover. This concerns me greatly. I have the Philadelphia 1/2 in Sep, and the BIG ONE on November 2. I might have to schedule this AFTER those runs.

Of course before I do anything else, I will be consulting my orthopedist, or even just go to a podiatrist (better). My sister mentioned that they do several tests to see if I really have it or not.
Below is an official definition of Morton's Neuroma, as taken from footphysicians.com

What is a Neuroma?
A neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissue that may develop in various parts of the body. The most common neuroma in the foot is a Morton's neuroma, which occurs at the base of the third and fourth toes. It is sometimes
referred to as an intermetatarsal neuroma. "Intermetatarsal" describes its location - in the ball of the foot between the metatarsal bones (the bones extending from the toes to the midfoot). Neuromas may also occur in other locations in the foot.

The thickening, or enlargement, of the nerve that defines a neuroma is the result of compression and irritation of the nerve. This
compression creates swelling of the nerve, eventually leading to permanent nerve
damage.

Symptoms of a Morton's Neuroma
If you have a Morton's neuroma, you will probably have one or more of these symptoms where the nerve damage in occurring:
Tingling, burning, or numbness pain
A feeling that something is inside the ball of the foot, or that there's a rise in the
shoe or a sock is bunched up.

The progression of a Morton's neuroma often follows this pattern:
The symptoms begin gradually. At first they occur only occasionally, when wearing narrow-toed shoes or performing certain aggravating activities. The symptoms may go away temporarily by massaging the foot or by avoiding aggravating shoes or activities. Over time the symptoms progressively worsen and may persist for several days or weeks. The symptoms become more intense as the neuroma enlarges and the temporary changes in the nerve become permanent.

The rest of this article can be found here:
http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/mortons-neuroma.htm

A podcast about Morton's Neuroma can also be found here too:
http://www.footphysicians.com/media/NeuromasPodcast.mp3

Runnin' With The Club
Ran tonight with the club. Bonnie, Carol, Sondra, and John were all on hand for this steamy, sweatfest. We did a fartlek run tonight, where we would take turns in selecting spots for which to sprint to, in between recovery runs. Bonnie had made a great suggestion regarding doing a Brooklyn Run tomorrow. I saved her information, but since I also am going to be picking up Scott's number at the NYRR club, I have modified this run to a 10 miler. It will take me across both the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, followed by a northbound route along Lafayette, and 2nd Aves. The last northbound leg will be entry in Central Park on the East Side. As much as I hate "Cat Hill", let's see how I feel about it, AFTER I've run 8 miles and the mercury has risen another 10 degrees to 82 or so. Which reminds me. I better apply some SPF on this whitey skin of mine before I take the "F" train to the "Starting Line" (which is the East Broadway stop on the 'F' train)

Reminiscing:

Yesterday, was Vanessa's trip down memory lane. This included Rego Park, and 5 towns. Here are some interesting before and now photos:

Winter 1979-1980 (Dad)......................................July 8, 2008........(Hopeless Home Slice)


Feb 1977 (Alfonso & Dad)..................................July 8, 2008 (Me holding "Toti Alla's" hand)